Getting Started
When it comes to financial responsibility, there is a lot to cover! Create a budget and stick to it. Keep track of you rincome, expenses, and savings. Learn to differentiate between needs and wants to avoid unnecessary debt. Start building an emergency fund for unexpected expenses.
Browse the resources below for more information on managing your personal finances.
Helpful Resources for Financial Management
eGuide
Personal Financial Planning by Type: eGuideISBN: 9781423236566Publication Date: 2017-11-01Make a better life using proven skills of financial planners. Set short and long term goals, protect what you have, and get a sense of security.
eBooks
Financial Adulting by Type: eBookISBN: 9781119817307Publication Date: 2022-03-02Financial Adulting: Everything You Need to be a Financially Confident and Conscious Adult delivers an easy-to-follow, informative, and fun financial guide. From budgeting and consumer activism to retirement investing and paying down debt, you'll learn everything you need to know and do to be a financially savvy adult. In this important book, you'll: Master fundamental concepts, including dealing with student loans, maximizing your 401(k), and preparing for salary negotiations.
Get Good with Money by ISBN: 9780593232750Publication Date: 2021-03-30With helpful checklists, worksheets, a tool kit of resources, and advanced advice from experts who Tiffany herself relies on (her “Budgetnista Boosters”), Get Good with Money gets crystal clear on the short-term actions that lead to long-term goals.
Making Money Simple by Type: eBookISBN: 9781119537823Publication Date: 2019-03-27After you read Making Money Simple, you'll be able to create your personal plan for success using proven wealth management methods and real-world financial strategies. From basic financial principles to advanced investing techniques, you'll get comprehensive coverage of fundamental financial topics with easy-to-follow advice.
Personal Finance for Dummies by Type: eBookISBN: 9781394207565Publication Date: 2023-08-23Personal Finance For Dummies offers sound advice for all ages and levels of personal money management. It’s never too early or too late to start making sense of your finances.
Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s for Dummies by Type: eBookISBN: 9781119805434Publication Date: 2021-06-02It's not as tough as it looks to reduce and file your taxes, pay off your student debt, buy a home, keep a budget to save and invest wisely, or start that side hustle, just to name a few. With a little bit of focus, you can start a clear path to financial freedom and avoid mistakes today. Your future self will thank you.
The Total Money Makeover Workbook: Classic Edition by Type: eBookISBN: 9781400207473Publication Date: 2018-01-02By now, you've heard all the nutty get-rich-quick schemes, the fiscal diet fads that leave you with a lot of kooky ideas but not a penny in your pocket. Hey, if you're tired of the lies and sick of the false promises, take a look at this—it's the simplest, most straightforward game plan for completely making over your money habits. And it's based on results, not pie-in-the-sky fantasies.
Articles
- BudgetingCovers how to create a budget, software to help you keep track of finances, and how often you should review and update your budget.
- RetirementYour retirement may be decades away but planning now may save you headaches down the road. This articles covers social security, employee-sponsored retirement plans, IRAs, taxable accounts, and working in retirement.
- Stocks, Bonds, and Other SecuritiesLearn about the advantages and disadvantages of stocks and bonds, when to invest, and the difference between stockbrokers and trading online.
Websites
- Basic Budgeting Tips Everyone Should KnowBudgeting lies at the foundation of every financial plan. It doesn’t matter if you’re living paycheck to paycheck or earning six-figures a year, you need to know where your money is going if you want to have a handle on your finances.
- Free Budget CalculatorWhen it comes to personal finance, it's best not to play the guessing game. Sometimes the easiest way to manage your monthly budget is to visualize it. With Quicken's budget calculator, it's easier than ever to manage your finances.
- Free Budget Template: Easily Track Your FinancesCreating a budget might not exactly sound like the most enjoyable task in the world, but it's a necessary part of keeping your finances in order, and keeping you out of mounting debt.
- How to Budget and Save Money as a College StudentBudgeting, as a concept, is very simple. You manage inputs and outputs, hopefully keeping the latter higher than the former. This article posts the author's thoughts and experience in the realm of budgeting with an emphasis on doing it in college.
Videos
- How to Make a Simple Budget | Dad, How Do I?How to Make a Simple Budget
- Understanding BudgetsCollege is a time of new found freedom for many students. But with freedom comes responsibility, especially fiscal responsibility. This video reviews the basics in money management skills in order to build a solid financial foundation for college years and beyond. Topics include how to set up a budget, discretionary vs. nondiscrtionary spending, and savings.
Apps & Online Tools
- Personal Success SkillsFive tutorials from the LearningExpress Library: Investing for Life, Managing Debt, The Basics of Money Management, Understanding Insurance & Taxes, and Why Credit Matters. Be sure to log in with your LearningExpress Library information to gain access!
Audiobooks
The Ultimate Rich Dad Library: To Elevate the Financial Well-being of Humanity by Type: eAudioISBN: 9781633128347Publication Date: Sep 01, 2022These classic segments are taken from 11 different audio programs offering several key ideas concerning wisdom about money, wealth, success and achievement that they contain.
Articles
- What college students need to know about credit cardsWhen you’re in college, a credit card offers the security that you can pay for things even if you don’t have money in your wallet. They’re accepted nearly everywhere, unlike some newer forms of payment. They’re essential for online purchases. And, they’re a great way to start building your credit history.
- Understanding the risks of buy now, pay later appsTheir apps are marketplaces full of major retail brands that beckon you with deals and offers, and the clincher: You don’t have to pay for the whole purchase now. Tempting, right? That’s the point. f mismanaged or overused, BNPL services can lead to drastic consequences on a young consumer’s already delicate financial wellness.
- College Money 101: From student loans to setting up a budgetEven if no one ever talked to you about money or finance “isn’t your thing,” everyone needs to know about money. But don’t worry, you don’t have to go it alone!
- What college students need to know about doing their taxesFiling tax returns can be particularly overwhelming for young Americans, many of whom graduate from high school or college without having had a formal financial literacy education. This guide can help you learn the basics of how to do your own taxes.
- How to manage stress about money while you’re in collegeAs the cost of education continues to increase significantly, many students report feelings of uncertainty, isolation and anxiety when it comes to the pressures of managing their personal finances at school. This guide is designed to help you manage stress and some proactive steps to take to help better your situation.
- Here’s what you need to know about paying off your student loansIt’s the question almost every college student or college graduate dreads to think about: How do I pay off my student loans? The key to tackling this issue is to: 1) Know what you owe (the total, when the first payment is due and how much each payment will be) and 2) Make a plan to pay it off.
- How to buy your first car without going brokeBefore you get caught up in the buying frenzy, there’s one thing you have to get straight first: How much can you afford to spend on a car?
- Understanding your first paycheck (and why it’s so much smaller than you thought)One of the most shocking things is when you get that first paycheck — and how small it really is! You knew some taxes would be taken out but most of us are unprepared for how much really comes out. This gudie covers all of the information you need to know about your paycheck.
Videos
- Personal finance: How to save, spend, and think rationally about moneyFinances can be a stressor, regardless of tax bracket. Here are tips for making better money decisions.
- Understanding Credit Basics: Know the Score!This program helps provide students with a better understanding of the concept of credit. We will examine credit in some of its different forms, and see how each one works. Possible methods to build and protect individual credit, and ways to manage credit are discussed. Students will also learn basic credit and finance terminology.
- Understanding CreditEvery young person will leave home at some point - to go to college, to work, or simply be on their own for the first time. When they do, they will enter the world of credit...money loaned to them to buy a car, rent an apartment, sign up for a subscription service, get a student loan or credit card. This video will explain what credit means, the various types of credit available, interest rates, as well as credit scores.
- Understanding Student LoansFor those high schools students who decided to further their education, 70% will go into debt by taking out a student loan. The goal of this video is to help students fully understand student loans and increase their ability to make informed decisions. This video will review the history of student loans, government vs. private lenders, interest rates, and payback options.